In Touch with ULFA-I, NSCN-K for Talks: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Art of Living (AoL) founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday said that he is in touch with Ulfa’s anti-talk faction (ULFA-I) led by its commander in chief Paresh Baruah and the anti-talk faction of NSCN (K) led by Khango Konyak to bring them to the peace process.

Addressing media in Guwahati, the spiritual guru said that besides these two organizations, he is also in touch with several other militant outfits operating in the northeast region.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was in Guwahati to deliver the keynote address of the Northeast Indigenous Peoples’ Conference, a convention of all the indigenous people of the region organized by the pro talk faction of the Ulfa leaders, who had been in ceasefire agreement with the Indian government.

“I can see that there is a trust deficit among these organizations in the northeast. We have been working in the region for over a decade now and I am trying to bring these outfits to the negotiating table. It is difficult to pronounce a date as to when the process will be complete but I hope there will be a breakthrough soon,” he said.

Asked about the talks process with the NSCN-K, the spiritual leader said that some leaders of the faction are also in touch with him and that there has been a positive response regarding the talks process. He said that peace is the foremost priority for the northeastern region and all the problems of the region will be solved once lasting peace is restored in the region.

He also expressed concern over the illegal immigration to the region from neighbouring countries and said that the process has already been on to solve the problem. “The process is already on to deport the illegal immigrants. We cannot afford to have illegal immigrants in any country,” he said.

To the issue of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already made the country’s stand clear on the Rohingyas to the authorities in Myanmar. “The issue of the refugees must be solved but the refugees must be treated with dignity till they are able to go back to their own country,” he added.